Nest Cam Outdoor vs. Ring vs. Canary Flex vs. Arlo Pro 2

Nest Cam Outdoor vs. Ring vs. Canary Flex vs. Arlo Pro 2

By Rose Thibodeaux - 01/17/2018

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2016 was the year of the outdoor camera, with everyone from Nest to Canary to Ring to Oco announcing outdoor versions of their popular security cameras. Since then, things have continued to improve and evolve.

I’ve been using the indoor Nest Cam to film through my window for quite some time. It’s a makeshift outdoor camera setup supplemented by my Ring Video Doorbell. With updates like person detection, I couldn’t be more pleased by the camera’s software and features. So it should come as no surprise that when Nest Cam Outdoor launched, I jumped at the opportunity to buy it. Since then, my search for an outdoor solution has continued to Canary Flex, Ring Spotlight Cam, Arlo Pro, Arlo Pro 2, and Blink XT.

(Disclosure: I received Ring Doorbell for free in November of 2015. I purchased Canary Flex, Nest Cam Indoor, Nest Cam Outdoor, Blink XT, and Ring Spotlight Cam on my own. Arlo Pro and Pro 2 were provided to me for testing courtesy of Netgear. Obviously, this does not impact my opinion, but I thought you should know.)

Shortcuts and Video Reviews

Installation

Nest Cam Outdoor

I would never have guessed (based on my experience with Nest Cam Indoor) that Nest Cam Outdoor would be a pain to install. In fact, the assumption that the process would be easy was one of the reasons I purchased it. And I supposed in some ways it does solve for at least two of the challenges that face those trying to install an outdoor camera.

1. You don’t have to run a cable into your attic space. However, you will have a visible, 25-foot eyesore if you don’t.

2. The camera is magnetic. If you have a magnetic surface outside, you may be able to use the mounting magnet (included) and nothing more. I wasn’t so lucky.

I’m sure there are people out there who will make the wire management “problem” look straightforward and effortless. But for the average consumer, hiding a 25-foot power cord anchored by a large power adapter is not going to be easy.

If you’ve been following along, you know that when I face wire management issues or I have to use a power drill, I call my dad. Drilling into brick isn’t easy. Even for dads, apparently. In the end, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep the camera anyway. What if I don’t like the camera? Do I want holes in my brick? With that in mind, we decided to use a piece of industrial strength 3M adhesive on the power adapter (the power adapter weighs about 4.5 oz) and a regular 3M strip on the camera wall plate. Everything seemed fine at first. At about 10 o’clock that night, I heard a loud crash. Thankfully, the camera was fine, but the power adapter proved to be too heavy for the adhesive.

Other than the process of physically installing the camera, installation is just like the indoor Nest Cam – fast. I simply had to add the camera to my existing Nest account. You’ll need to make sure the camera has access to both WiFi and power, and you should be good to go.

To summarize, installation has pros and cons:

Exposed Wiring

Requires Power and Internet

Drilling Required

My Experience: 60-Minute Install

Ring Video Doorbell

I installed Ring 10 months before I installed Nest Cam, so I might have rose-colored glasses. However, from what I recall, and from reading my notes, it was nowhere near as aggravating, and the result is more aesthetically pleasing. Of course, it was easier to drill into my wood door frame than my experience with trying to drill into brick. But if you plan to install your Ring Video Doorbell onto a brick surface, Ring has instructions for you. They offer instructions for installing the device on wood, vinyl, brick, etc. The instructions will also be different depending on if you choose to hardwire the device to your doorbell’s existing wires (recommended) or if you prefer to use battery power.

For most, the process will involve downloading the free Ring app. Next, you will need to remove your existing doorbell. Once that is complete, you will install Ring’s mounting bracket and connect the existing wires to your doorbell. Finally, place your new doorbell on the mounting bracket and tighten the screws. Ring will be able to use your existing doorbell chime if you hardwire. If not, you can purchase a Chime accessory including the Chime or Chime Pro. Pro not only emits a sound when someone rings your doorbell but also acts as a WiFi extender, improving your wireless signal.

As you are using either your doorbell wires or battery, the end result is more aesthetically pleasing. For me, the only problem is that Ring is too large for my door frame. I have about a 1/3″ overhang. It doesn’t bother me, but if you think it will bother you, Ring also sells the Ring Doorbell Pro (via Amazon). The Doorbell Pro is 1.85″ wide; the original doorbell is 2.43″ wide. Pro does not have a battery; it must connect to the wiring from your existing doorbell. It also has a few extra features (more on that later). Finally, the Ring ELITE is a flush mount option that uses Power over Ethernet (PoE). You can compare all of Ring’s cameras here.

Pros and Cons of a Ring Installation:

No Exposed Wires

Uses Existing Doorbell Power or Battery. Requires Internet

Drilling Required

My Experience: 15 Minute Install

Ring Spotlight Cam Battery and Solar

Ring sells four versions of its Spotlight Camera: Wired, Mount, Battery, and Solar. Battery and Solar are the same camera. The only difference is that Solar ships with a solar panel.

Installing Spotlight Cam Solar wasn’t that simple, which I expected since it requires drilling, but the process was made even more complicated by two issues. First, the box design would have Steve Jobs rolling over in his grave. In fact, I’m not one for exaggerations so know that when I say it’s one of the worst box designs I’ve ever opened, I mean it. On a more serious note, there’s a discrepancy between the instructions found on the app, those printed on the included quick start guide, and those found online.

Being a cautious optimist, I first followed the app instructions; this was a mistake. Unfortunately, the app instructions are incomplete and leave out important details. Next, I moved on to the included instruction manual where I learned that the first step of the installation process is to fully charge Spotlight’s battery. Unfortunately for me, it was too late for that. The app also skipped another essential step found in the instruction manual: mounting position.

The device shipped ready to be mounted on an eave, but I decided that I wanted to mount it on a wall. To do that, you have to swap the mounting plate from an upward facing to a downward facing position. What I learned while doing so is that Ring fails to mention that the device does not ship with the security screw already in place so even if the mounting plate is already in the position you want, make sure to check on the security screw. Instructions on removing the mounting plate are found on page 15 of the included instruction manual.

What have we learned so far?

Step One: Download the Ring AppStep Two: Charge Spotlight Cam’s BatteryStep Three: Decide if you want to mount on a wall or an eave and position the mount appropriately.Step Four: Even if the mount is in the right position, double check the security screw.

No matter where you choose to mount Spotlight Cam, Ring suggests you mount it at least 9 feet off of the ground. You should also test your camera before drilling to make sure that:

A: The camera has a strong wireless signal.
B: You like the view.

The camera connects to the included wall mount using a ball socket. If you’re installing on brick or another hard surface, you’ll need to drill and insert wall anchors. If you’re installing your camera onto a wooden surface, you can use the included screws and screwdriver to secure the mount. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep Spotlight Cam so both options seemed like rather permanent solutions. I decided to create the most unattractive, temporary solution.

Yup, it’s not pretty, but it works. With the mount in place, simply slide the camera into the socket until it pops. You might have to loosen the screws around the socket for it to slide in place, but even then, you have to give the camera a little push. Next, adjust the camera angle, and tighten the side screws to keep it in place.

Unfortunately, though I purchased the Solar Panel version, the camera did not ship with Solar Panel installation instructions. The Solar Panel itself had an instruction pamphlet, but it’s picture book style, which is not my favorite. I decided to ignore all instructions and guess at the install, which wasn’t a good idea. After installation, the camera’s video feed kept flickering in and out (a problem which I have yet to resolve) so I went back through my install steps to see if I had messed up along the way. I had. I found Solar Panel installation instructions online which I recommend and followed step-by-step.

The aesthetic result of two devices mounted and connected by a wire isn’t overly pleasing. Thankfully, my setup is installed in a spot where it isn’t publicly visible. If it were on my porch, I would probably return the solar panel to use two batteries. That’s right, two! During the install, I was most surprised to find that though Spotlight Cam ships with one battery, it has room for two.

Pros and Cons of a Ring Installation:

Wired, Mount, Battery, and Solar Versions Available

Drilling Required

My Experience: 20 Minute Install

Canary Flex

Installing Canary Flex was easy. Part of that comes from the fact that I’m a Canary indoor camera user. To add Canary Flex, I plugged it in (Even though it can be battery-powered, Canary recommends starting with a full charge.), turned my phone’s Bluetooth feature on, visited the app, and selected “Add Canary device”. From there, you confirm the physical location of your camera, tap the button on the back of the device, and it begins to pair.

After the battery is charged, you can move the camera to a new location, so long as it’s within your WiFi’s range. The camera will work using battery power alone, or you can continue to use it plugged into a power outlet. If you are willing to pay an extra fee, you can even add 4G LTE through a mount for Canary Flex (coming soon). The weatherproof (IP65) mount allows the camera to work in places where WiFi doesn’t exist or where it cuts in and out. It can also be used to provide extra battery to Flex if no outlet is available.

While having three power/connection options already provides flexibility, there is even more flexibility thanks to accessories (sold separately). The first accessory is a Secure Mount. The Mount locks your device into place. Replacing the magnetic base, it helps prevent against device theft. The second is the Stake Mount: Stick the mount into the ground or a potted plant to give Flex a hidden camera effect. The Twist Mount can bend and wrap around an object so that you can hang it virtually anywhere. Canary suggests using the Twist Mount to place Flex on fixtures, railings, or even branches.

Pros and Cons of a Canary Flex Installation:

Battery, Outlet, or 4G (Coming Soon)

Mounting Options Flexible Through Accessories (Sold Separately)

No Drilling Required

My Experience: 2 Minute Install

Arlo Pro and Pro 2

If Arlo shipped their cameras packaged in frustration-free packaging, the process would be a lot smoother. Beyond that, installation was easy.

As Arlo Pro is a cordless camera, it shares similarities with Canary’s installation process. The difference is that Arlo requires a base station. Another difference is that Arlo ships their cameras fully-charged and ready to go directly from the factory. Thanks, Arlo.

To install Arlo Pro, simply pop the included battery into the camera, download the free mobile app (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon), plug in the base station (requires Ethernet and power), and sync the camera to the base station. If you have multiple cameras, you will need to sync them one at a time.

The next step is camera placement, and Arlo Pro offers a few options. First of all, the camera is magnetic. It can sit on a flat surface, stick directly to a magnetic surface, or you can use the included plate to mount it to a wall. While you can place Arlo inside or out, the camera’s power cord that ships with the package is not weatherproof so plan to use battery power when placing the camera outside. Finally, they also sell an $80 solar panel. The panel works with Arlo Pro, Pro 2, and Go, and can power one camera continuously. Keep in mind, however, that the solar panel powers the camera connected to it, but it does not charge the camera’s battery.

Pros and Cons of an Arlo Pro Installation:

Battery Power, Outlet, or Solar Panel

Base Station Requires Power and Internet

No Drilling Required

My Experience: 10 Minute Install

WINNER Arlo is the winner. They offer several flexible options including indoor charging, battery power, as well as a solar panel. And if you need to place the camera in a spot without internet, you can buy Arlo Go with 4G.

Nest Cam

Nest Cam’s software (Nest Aware) can’t be beat. Better yet, they continuously launch improvements to the software for all users. Their most recent update granted a limited amount of free snapshot access for both Nest Cam AND Dropcam users. If you want more storage, Nest Aware comes in two flavors: 10-day for $10 a month or 30-day for $30 a month.

Without Nest Aware

With Nest Aware

Motion Detection

Basic

Intelligent

Live Streaming:

Video History:

3 Hour Snapshots

10 or 30 Days Video History

Continuous Video Recording:

Two-Way Talk:

Zoom 8x:

Yes, 12x for Nest Cam IQ

Yes, 12x for Nest Cam IQ

Person Alerts:

Nest Cam IQ Only

Familiar Face Alerts

Nest Cam IQ Only

Supersight Tracking

Nest IQ Only

Nest IQ Only

Activity Zones:

Create Clips and Timelapses:

Share Live Streams:

Geofencing

Sound Detection

Basic

Intelligent

Dog Barking/Person Speaking Alerts

Finding Video Evidence

One thing you may not realize until you use your camera to find video evidence is how difficult it can be to locate relevant events.

Nest uses Timelapse and Sightline features, both require Nest Aware. Creating a Timelapse can condense up to 24 hours of video into a clip no longer than a couple of minutes. You can create Timelapses from your computer.

Sightline is accessed from the mobile app. From the app, you can see your video history marked with color-coded activities. The colors represent different zones set by you. For example, a green dot might be driveway activity whereas an orange dot is an activity from your porch. If you own a Nest Secure security system, events triggered by the system will also show up in the Sightline as red dots or bars. You will also be able to see a “snapshot” of the event. Finally, using Sightline, you can swipe to fast forward through several days’ worth of footage.

Event Alerts

Nest will intelligently alert you, within reason. For example, you can have the street set as a zone, but turn off notifications for the street. Nest can also tell you when it sees a person or thinks it sees a person. In fact, you can choose to only receive alerts when it sees a person, which virtually eliminates false alarms.

Summary of what you need to know:

Activity Zones

Automatically Arms and Disarms Based Upon Your Presence

Person Detection

3 Hours Snapshots Free, Paid Storage 10-day or 30-day

Ring Video Doorbell

Ring doesn’t offer free storage. While you will be able to see missed alerts, you won’t be able to view missed events without subscribing. The good news is that cloud storage is cheap. For $3 a month per device, you will be able to view and download up to six months of events. You will also be able to share clips, which is of vital importance if you want to use your video as evidence. If you have several Ring Cameras, you can subscribe to their Protect plan for $10 per month or $100 per year. This plan covers an unlimited number of Ring cameras and adds a lifetime product warranty. Beyond storage, all Ring features are free.

Finding Video Evidence

Ring offers access to a timeline-style feature where you can view events going back six months (if you are subscribed). From the timeline, you can sort through ring events, motion events, or live view events. Right now, the feature isn’t very advanced. Soon, Ring plans to completely revamp their mobile app.

The new app will offer an “Event Timeline.” The Event Timeline includes a video scrubber for faster access to your daily clips. The major difference between new and old is that the current timeline only shows the date and description of the event. The new timeline will also show a snapshot.

Event Alerts and Accuracy

While Ring doesn’t offer as many advanced motion features as Nest, it does have a couple. For one, you can choose to be notified of both motion and ring events. With motion, you can customize motion settings from the app.

Motion Zones should not be confused with activity zones. Motion Zones allow you to choose the motion detector’s range. You can choose to receive alerts for motion within a 5-foot range and up to a 30-foot range. For those who own Ring Pro or Ring Elite, you can draw custom shapes like Nest Aware’s Activity Zone feature.

Ring also supports Smart Alerts, the ability to set the motion sensor’s sensitivity. You can request to receive more alerts, “standard,” or “light” (fewer alerts). You can also turn notifications on and off from the main screen of the app. I prefer to receive all ring alerts (someone rings my doorbell), but I don’t like motion alerts. Even though I don’t have motion alerts turned on, I can still review all recorded motion events from the app or web portal.

Ring cannot automatically arm and disarm, nor would I expect it to, but you can create a monitoring schedule. You can disable motion alerts during specific days and times. Also, if you have multiple doorbells, you can place live events on hold to answer new calls. You can swap back and forth between calls without hanging up.

Finally, Ring offers a program called “Ring Neighborhoods.” With this feature, you can quickly share video clips with those nearby. You don’t have to invite your neighbors. Instead, Ring uses your set geolocation to find other nearby users. You can even customize your location by creating a smaller or larger shape around your home. By tapping on the Ring Neighborhood icon when viewing a call or recording, you can share that event with those nearby regardless of whether or not they own a Ring device. So long as your neighbor has the Ring app, you can share events with them. You can also choose to share events to Facebook and NextDoor.

Summary of what you need to know:

Activity Zones

Scheduled Monitoring

Motion and Doorbell Alerts

Storage Starts at $3/Month

Sometimes Ring Doesn’t Ring

Ring Neighborhoods

Ring Spotlight Cam Battery and Solar

Ring Spotlight has access to the same cloud plans as Ring Video Doorbell: $3 per month per device for 6 months of video history or $10 per month per account.

Finding Video Evidence

Spotlight Cam also uses the same timeline-style feature as Video Doorbell. In fact, if you manage both devices under one account, you will see events from both cameras listed. From the mobile app, you can sort events by Rings, Motion, Live View, or Starred events. From the web app, you can also sort by device so that you can separate your Spotlight Cam footage from footage captured by your other devices.

Spotlight Cam will also take advantage of the new timeline feature launching soon.

Event Alerts and Accuracy

Even if you have multiple devices, they don’t really play together beyond the ability to view them using the same app. For example, if someone rings your doorbell, you can’t trigger your Spotlight Cam to record. Spotlight is limited to three features to protect your home: its spotlight, a siren, and a motion sensor.

What you can do with the motion sensor will depend on which version of Spotlight Cam you own. With the Wired and Mount versions, you can create activity zones. You can tell the camera areas to monitor and areas to ignore by designating such areas within the camera’s field of view.

If you own the Battery or Solar version of Spotlight Cam, you will be limited to the same three features we’ve already discussed: Motion Zones, Smart Alerts, and Scheduling. Motion Zones is simply a fancy name for the ability to adjust motion sensitivity and Smart Alerts is the ability to control alert frequency. Finally, you can create a schedule for your Spotlight Cam to follow. You can create a rule to disable motion alerts, but you can’t create one to enable them.

Spotlight Cam’s star feature is its light. The camera is equipped with two lights that automatically trigger when motion is detected. The lights aren’t very bright. At 700 lumens, they’re about as bright as a 60-watt light bulb. It’s not enough to scare someone away, but does improve the camera’s ability to see at night. And nighttime is the only time when the lights will automatically turn on, though you can turn the lights on manually at any time. When triggered, the light stays on for about 30 seconds. When turned on manually, it stays on until you end the live stream (required to access light feature).

The Wired Spotlight Cam and Mount Spotlight Cam also support the ability to create light schedules, a feature missing from Spotlight Cam Battery.

Spotlight Cam also works with Ring Neighborhoods. If you prefer to take matters into your own hands, you can manually trigger the camera’s siren. Though it has a siren, there is no way to trigger it automatically. You can, however, set your camera to trigger your Chime automatically. If motion is detected, your Chime will play the same tone it plays when your doorbell is pressed.

Summary of what you need to know:

Activity Zones (Wired and Mount Only)

Scheduled Monitoring

Automated Spotlight Feature

Storage Starts at $3/Month

Built-in Siren

Ring Neighborhoods

Canary Flex

Canary offers 24 hours of video history for up to five cameras plus unlimited bookmarks. For free, clips are 30-seconds in length. If you want to download videos directly to your phone, share them to social media, want longer clips, more storage, or more devices, you need a Canary Membership.

A Canary Membership provides 30 days of video history, full-length video clips, social sharing, custom modes, two-way audio, desktop streaming, and unlimited downloads for $9.99/month for up to five cameras. If you have more than five cameras, Canary charges an additional $4.99 per camera per month. You can use an unlimited number of cameras in a single location with a Canary Membership.

Finding Video Evidence

Canary Membership also provides a unique way to sort through video evidence: Incident Support. With Incident Support, Canary provides a dedicated agent to help you retrieve video evidence if a home theft occurs.

Event Alerts

Flex uses the same algorithm as the indoor Canary. In theory, this sounds good. In reality, an outdoor camera needs its own algorithm. Motion events are processed to determine if they are false or if the event should be uploaded to the cloud for “further analysis.” This process not only helps to reduce false alarms, but it saves battery life.

With Canary, you can also adjust motion sensitivity, and the camera includes a PIR motion sensor, which works when the camera is plugged in or when running on battery. But even with these added features, Flex has trouble sorting true events from false ones. On windy days, false alerts are common, and sometimes Flex misses events. Worse, if you use Flex as a battery-powered camera, you must wait for it to wake up. I had problems with the camera sleeping through events. In general, the camera performs at a much higher level when plugged in.

To help reduce false alarms, Canary has launched Person Detection. The best part? It’s free. While you can’t limit alerts to only those that contain a person, push notifications will distinguish between person and non-person alerts which might help to reduce the number of alerts you feel obligated to respond to.

Person Detection was the first feature launched under the Canary Vision project, a project that aims to add AI-powered intelligence to Canary devices. The second Canary Vision feature is Package Detection, which lets users set up notifications for when packages are delivered to their homes. This feature is exclusive to Canary Flex and it can only be accessed if you have a Canary Membership.

Summary of what you need to know:

Incident Support($)

Automatically Arms and Disarms Based On Your Presence

Person and Package Detection

Computer Vision Algorithms

24 Hours Free Storage, Paid Video Storage 30-days

Camera Sleeps Between Events (Battery Mode Only)

Custom Canary Alert Tone for Push Notifications

Arlo Pro and Pro 2

Arlo offers 7 days of free cloud storage. How awesome is that? During setup, you will have the option of choosing between their home or business plans. For home users, they offer three flavors: Basic, Premier, and Elite.

For free, you have access to Basic which includes 7 days of free cloud recordings (up to 1GB), supports up to 5 cameras, and 3 months of phone support. Premier is $9.99 per month or $99.00 per year. It includes 30 days of cloud recording (up to 10GB), supports up to 10 cameras, and provides unlimited phone support. Finally, Elite is $14.99 per month or $149.00 per year and includes 60 days of cloud recordings (up to 100GB), support for 15 cameras, and unlimited support.

In addition to cloud storage, Arlo Pro offers local storage to a USB device (thumb drive, hard drive, etc.). Local storage cannot be used instead of cloud storage, but rather in addition to. However, if you lose your internet connection, all events will be stored to your USB storage device.

Arlo Pro 2 also works with Arlo’s continuous video recording (CVR) plan. The catch is that the camera must remain plugged-in in order for the feature to work, and Arlo’s power cord is not weatherproof. The subscription is per camera and also works with Arlo Q, Q Plus, and Arlo Baby. For $9.99 per month, they will provide 14 days of 24/7 CVR, for $19.99 per month you get 30 days, and for $29.99 per month, you will get 60 days. Arlo provides a discount if you pay for the year upfront and they offer a 50% discount if you have more than one CVR plan on your account.

Finding Video Evidence

All plans, including the freemium, offer access to the same security features and provide a semi-decent way of sorting through historical footage. Through their “Library,” you will have access to a timeline feature. You can view all recorded events by day where you have the option of favoriting an event, downloading it, or sharing it. You can also filter recorded footage by favorites, motion events, audio events, manual recordings, or recordings triggered by IFTTT.

If you are willing to pay for Arlo Smart ($3.99 per month per camera), your cameras will be able to tell a person from a pet from a car from trees. This smart feature also makes video sorting easier as you can filter recordings to show you what you want to see. For example, you can filter the results to only show recordings with people.

If you choose to keep your Arlo Pro 2 indoors and plugged-in, you will also gain access to Activity Zones. You can select up to three zones for Arlo to monitor. If activity is detected in one of your zones, you’ll receive an alert. Activity that occurs outside of your set zone will be ignored.

Event Alerts

For free, event recordings can be triggered by motion or sound. What happens after an event is triggered depends on the modes you create and use.

Arlo Pro is preprogrammed with four modes: Armed, Disarmed, Schedule, and Geofencing. Most of the modes are customizable, and you have the option of adding your own customized mode. You can even create different rules for different cameras. For example, armed mode on camera A might mean that if it detects motion or audio, it will record, while armed mode on camera B might mean that if motion is detected, it sounds the siren, but doesn’t record. You can also decide if you would like push alerts, email alerts, or no alerts.

If schedules aren’t your thing, you can use geofencing to have the camera automatically arm when you are away and disarm when you arrive home.

Back to Arlo Smart, you can pay for advanced alerts. You can ask only to receive alerts when motion is caused by a person while ignoring cars, for example.

And if you’re worried about missing events, plug the camera in. While plugged-in, Arlo Pro 2 offers Look Back, a feature that buffers three seconds of video at all times. If an event occurs, you’ll receive event footage plus the three second buffer.

Summary of what you need to know:

Activity Zones

Automatically Arms and Disarms Based Upon Your Presence

Scheduled Monitoring

7 Days Free Cloud Storage, Paid Storage 30-day or 60-day

Camera Sleeps Between Events (Battery Mode Only)

Arlo Smart for $3.99/month/camera

WINNER Nest. While Nest Aware is a more expensive service, advanced features like person detection combined with the ability for the camera to record 24/7 make it a better overall home security camera. However, Arlo with Arlo Smart is also a contender as the service is less expensive and the camera includes free storage. You can also add continuous video recording to Arlo Pro 2, but only if using the camera plugged-in indoors.

Family Sharing

Nest Cam Outdoor

If you want to share your Nest Cam with others, you have three options: Family Accounts, Password Protected Sharing, or Public Sharing.

Using a Family Account, you can share access with nine other people. However, Nest’s sharing feature is problematically one-size-fits-all. All members will have full control over your account, including all cameras and connected devices such as thermostats and smoke alarms. As an example, I gave my family access to a camera placed at my grandmother’s. They can now view the camera at my grandmother’s and also the camera at my house. There is no way to limit their access. Also, they can’t set their own notification preferences, so they either have to put up with all the notifications from my house, or I have to turn off my notifications.

With Password Protected Sharing, you can share access to your video stream with up to ten people who have both the link and the password. Public Sharing is self-explanatory; it’s access to your live stream without a password. Both Public and Password Sharing allow others to view a live stream of your video, but they cannot view your video history, receive alerts, control cameras, or your other connected devices.

Ring Video Doorbell and Spotlight Cam

All Ring doorbells and cameras support multiple users. Users can interact with guests and receive notifications. However, each user can set their own custom notification settings. For example, you can ask to be notified of doorbell activity while another user might want to be made aware of ring and motion activity.

Second, you can take it to the next level with Ring Locations. The Locations feature lets you assign your different devices to different locations under one account. You can then decide who has access to each location. For example, this could theoretically solve the challenge I described above. If I had a camera at my grandmother’s, I could give access to my family, but exclude them from viewing footage from cameras located at my home. When the new app launches, you will also be able to view location-based grouping backed by a multi-camera view.

Ring Locations also takes user access to another level. You can change a user’s access depending on the location. For example, you might be a Homeowner at your home and a Neighbor at another home.

Canary Flex

Canary also allows you to share access with other users. Through the Canary app, all users will have full control over your cameras. Canary also lets you choose who has access to what camera through the use of multiple locations. Multiple locations can be the same address or different address and can be managed under one account. You can learn more about using multiple locations here.

In addition to sharing camera access, having multiple users will make geofencing even more intelligent. The cameras will arm when everyone is away and disarm when at least one person is home. You can also see who is home and who is away using the mobile app. Finally, it brings everyone in on the action. If an event is detected, an alert will be sent to all users. If one user responds to the alert, other users will be able to see how that person responded. You can also leave a comment on the event and chat with other users directly within the app.

Arlo Pro and Pro 2

Arlo starts with one admin per account. The admin is allowed to share access with other users. However, all other users will have limited access to some features.

Friend access allows users to view live streams, view recorded clips, and favorite clips. If you want to share more, grant access rights. In addition to the rights already discussed, those with access rights will be able to record video footage, mute the speaker, enter full-screen view, zoom and drag video footage, access and change modes, manually record, take snapshots, favorite, and share or delete video footage. Finally, Arlo does allow you to control which camera or cameras other users can access. For example, you can give them access to your outdoor camera, but not your indoor camera.

WINNER: Ring and Canary. Ring has a slight edge as they allow you to customize user access by location. Canary has this multi-user thing down pat thanks to group geofencing and group communication.

Nest Cam Outdoor

Nest Cam Outdoor’s temperature range is limited to -4° to 104°F. In the same breath, the Nest team warns of placing the camera in direct sunlight to avoid overheating the device. So if the device can only handle 104° and it might heat up in the sun, is it really ready to live outside? Perhaps it’s not that the device isn’t ready to live outside, but that it’s more suited for temperate zones.

I can’t say if the story shared below is true or not, but one Facebook commenter shared this,

Waste of time for me as the temp range only goes to -4. Gets -20 here in Colorado. Spoke to Nest customer support was told not to purchase for our climate.

That said, this might be one area where splurging for the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor makes sense. While you do have to drill to hide the wires, the camera itself has an IP66 rating and can work in temperatures ranging from -40° to 113°F.

Ring Video Doorbell

Ring’s temperature range is better than Nest’s (-5°F – 120°F). As mentioned above, I’ve been using it for nearly a year. My device has survived both summer and winter.

Ring Spotlight Cam

Spotlight Cam Wired and Mount will work in temperatures ranging from -20°F to 120°F, but Battery and Solar have a smaller operating temperature range.

The Wired version uses a power source. The Mount version uses your existing outdoor electrical box for drop-in replacement of other outdoor lights and cameras.

Solar uses a solar panel. The Solar Panel connects to Spotlight Cam’s battery via a 13-foot cable. In fact, if you buy a battery-powered camera and want to convert it to solar, you can buy the panel for $49. The panel is weatherproof and requires just one hour of direct sunlight per day to keep your camera charged.

And that is its job, to keep the camera charged. However, I noticed during testing that it does charge the battery too. When I installed the camera, the battery level was at 40%. Soon after connecting the solar panel, that percentage jumped to 50%. The next day it rained, and the percentage climbed from 50 to 52%. Day three was overcast, and yet the battery level crept up to 56%. Day 4 was a beautiful sunny day and the battery level jumped to 78%. By the end of day 4, I was at 100%.

According to Ring, the solar panel should provide a “Trickle Charge” of 1-2% per day. Clearly, I got more. That said, if the battery doesn’t charge and it dies, you will need to charge it in order to use the camera. You cannot run the camera on solar power alone.

The battery version of the camera can only use a battery. You can’t plug it in. According to Ring, the batteries should give you six months of life before needing to be recharged, but that wasn’t my experience. After testing the battery for three weeks, my battery level dropped from 100% to 47%. It was completely depleted before the two month mark. If you plan to use a battery, I suggest buying two. As mentioned in the installation guide, Spotlight Cam ships with one battery, but it supports two. This configuration will improve your camera’s uptime. When one battery dies, you can charge it while battery two kicks-in to power your camera. Ring sells additional batteries for $29.

Canary Flex

I ran my original Canary Flex test in December, and the temperatures failed to drop below 32 degrees. I tell you this because Canary claims the battery can last several months, though cold weather and heavy usage will reduce its lifespan.

After using Flex unplugged for a little over two weeks, the battery fell critically low before getting to the point where the camera would no longer turn on. I don’t blame this on the weather as much as I do the wind. Continued tests showed a battery life of 2-4 weeks. Per a reader request, I retested the camera in August. The weather is warmer here in August, it’s less windy, and Canary has since made several adjustments to help extend Flex’s battery life. This time, the battery lasted a full seven weeks.

Of course, there are things you can do to get the max life out of your camera’s battery. Canary provides the following tips:

You can plug the device into a weatherproof, covered outlet if you see a green dot on the bottom of the power adapter.

Protect your device from direct sunlight by placing it under an overhang or in a shady area.

Arlo Pro and Pro 2

Arlo Pro can be used outdoors only if running on battery or solar power. (While they once sold an outdoor power adapter, it is no longer available due to quality issues.) If you’re using battery power, you will have to charge your camera indoors as the included power adapter is not rated for outdoor use. Furthermore, if your battery is too cold from being outside, you might have to wait for it to warm up before you can begin to charge it. If you don’t like the sound of all of that, you can invest in the $59.99 Pro Charging Station and an additional rechargeable battery ($49.99). You can use the charging station to charge two batteries simultaneously so that you always have one ready to go when needed. You can also purchase the Arlo Pro UV-resistant silicone skins, which provide added protection against condensation and sun glare.

At two months, Arlo’s battery did last longer than Canary’s before it needed to recharge. Arlo also sent both an email and push notification encouraging me to charge the camera. I tried to time how long it took to recharge the battery, but it took five hours to reach 87% and then stopped. Even the next day, the camera’s battery did not charge beyond 87%. Also, like Canary, Arlo’s battery life was impacted by activity more than weather. The camera I placed in a lower traffic zone still has 37% battery life after two months and several sub-zero days.

I’m still testing the difference between Arlo Pro and Pro 2’s battery life. I have both cameras running side-by-side and will update this article with more data when I have it.

Device Issues and Troubleshooting

Warranty Length

2 Year Limited Warranty

1 Year Limited Warranty (Lifetime with Protect Plus)

1 Year Limited Warranty (Lifetime with Protect Plus)

1 Year Limited Warranty (2 Years With Canary Membership)

1 Year Limited Warranty (90 Days Phone Support)

Availability

Phone, Chat, or Twitter

Email, Phone, or Chat

Email, Phone, or Chat

Email, Chat, or Twitter

Email, Phone, or Chat

Phone Support Quality

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Discontinued

Offshore, Average

Wake Up To Livestream (on Average) Same Network

1 Second (Wired)

16 Seconds (Wired Doorbell)

4 Seconds (Solar Spotlight)

10 Seconds (Battery), 5 Seconds (Wired)

6 Seconds (Battery), 6 Seconds (Wired)

Wake Up To Livestream (on Average) Remote

6 Seconds (Wired)

19 Seconds (Wired Doorbell)

9 Seconds (Solar Spotlight)

12 Seconds (Battery)

6 Seconds (Battery)

Automatic Firmware Updates

Nest Cam Outdoor

One minor problem I’ve had with Nest Cam Outdoor is one that has also plagued my indoor camera for as long as I’ve had it. For some reason, when I physically move the device, even slightly, it loses connection. And when Nest loses connection, it can take several minutes to boot back up.

Another issue is caused by the device’s design. In theory, each clip cable needs to be screwed in. I’ve heard others claim this is for security reasons, making the device harder to steal. But I don’t see how this could be true. It’s not hard to walk up and unscrew the camera from the cord and walk away with it. The camera attaches to the base using a magnet, and it attaches to the power adapter using a cord that you simply push and twist to disconnect.

One final issue has more to do with software performance than hardware issues, but it’s important to point out. From time-to-time, the snapshot will record a little too late. In the example above, it caught the UPS man’s back. For those without a Nest Aware subscription, this is all you get. Those with a subscription can rewind footage to see the moments before the clip.

Ring Video Doorbell

Ring’s biggest issue (in my experience) is that from time to time, it flops. This means that someone will ring my doorbell, but I won’t receive a notification on my phone. Also, it’s slow to wake up, which is surprising considering that I’m not running it on batteries.

Also, on the original Ring, resetting the device when it loses WiFi connection is a real pain. When this happens, you will need to use the proprietary screwdriver (make sure you save it) to unscrew the device to access the reset button. It takes about 15 minutes. In fact, the same process is required to recharge the camera’s battery. This is one of two reasons why you should opt for the Ring Video Doorbell 2. (The other reason is an improved resolution.) Ring Video Doorbell 2 features a removable battery, eliminating the hassle of removing the device for a recharge.

Ring Spotlight Cam

Thus far, my only issue with Spotlight Cam is that the live streaming option is a little glitchy. It will live stream, but the video flickers in and out.

Canary Flex

My indoor Canary is self-sufficient, and that is exactly what I want in a home security camera. Flex has yet to provide that same experience. I’ve had to physically interact with the device multiple times to get it to reconnect to my internet. Also, the geofencing feature is inaccurate, often marking me away while home and vice versa. As for power loss notifications? They’re hit or miss.

Additionally, when running Flex on a battery, it is often slow to wake up, even after a recent updated targeting Canary’s lag time.

My final issue with Canary Flex has less to do with the device itself and more to do with the company behind the camera. Over the years, Canary has made a lot of changes to their cameras, and the changes don’t always benefit the customer. For example, they promised free two-way audio, but then started charging for it, and for a long time they provided free cloud storage, now they offer what they call “digestible Video Previews.” Changes such as these are concerning.

Arlo Pro and Pro 2

I haven’t had any issues with Arlo Pro, but I called into their support team to get a feel for support quality. As Netgear owns Arlo, phone tech support is managed by Netgear, and they offer offshore support. It was the stereotypical experience you think of when you think of tech support. I called into a phone queue, waited a little bit (not long), got transferred to someone who struggled to understand my question, she put me on hold, she came back to clarify my question, she put me on hold, and then she came back with an answer. While it wasn’t a bad experience, it was sub-par compared to the tech support experiences provided by Nest, Canary, and Ring.

There is a known issue with Arlo that doesn’t affect me personally but may affect you. Danh Bui was kind enough to share that Arlo Pro sound currently does not work for T-Mobile users. T-Mobile uses IPV6 where Arlo Pro uses IPV4.

WINNER Nest, Canary, and Ring all provide excellent tech support experiences. That said, general word to the wise: When you self-monitor your home security system, expect to do some troubleshooting from time-to-time. It is an inevitable part of the process. Most of the outdoor devices I’ve tested have had issues, though Nest appears to be leading the way.

Final Thoughts

To me, Nest, Canary, Ring, and Arlo are like apples and oranges. Ring Doorbell protects your front door from intrusion. Nest has an advantage in that it can capture footage 24/7. Canary has an advantage in that it is wire free and will soon offer 4G wireless service as a primary form of connection or backup. Arlo Pro and Ring Spotlight have an advantage in that the cameras can run on battery power and they wake up for both motion and live streaming faster than Canary Flex.

They all have their issues. They all have false alarms. There is no perfect solution. I’m hopeful that soon new technology will emerge, and someone will take the best of Nest, the best of battery-powered cameras (Elon Musk, please make us an amazing battery!), and the best of Ring to make the ultimate outdoor camera.

In the end, the best camera depends on what you want to accomplish. There is no one-size-fits-all solution regarding home security. I want to use my camera to help my neighbors. I’ve found that continuous recording is crucial. After all the testing, I’m back to using Nest Cam indoor supplemented by my video doorbell. However, for my backyard, I feel Arlo Pro is ideal. I don’t need continuous recording, I don’t want more wires, and it wakes up faster than Canary.

Using the Nest Cam Outdoor vs. Indoor Nest Cam

Below is a brief comparison of using the Indoor camera to film through a window versus using the Outdoor Nest Cam.

NEST CAM INDOOR

No Sound

Less accurate at detecting people at night.

Aesthetically Pleasing

Theft Protected

No Night Vision*

NEST CAM OUTDOOR

Sound & Two-Way Audio

Slightly More Accurate

Sloppy

Vulnerable to Theft

Night Vision

*The indoor camera has night vision, but you have to turn this feature off to record through a window.

Nest Indoor or Nest Outdoor? There are pros and cons to both. The Nest Cam Outdoor might be slightly more accurate, but that’s probably more to do with positioning – it has a better vantage point. The fact that it is more accurate, has sound, and night vision makes me want to switch, but I simply can not deal with the way it looks when installed.

Arlo Pro vs. Arlo Pro 2

All of the differences between Arlo Pro and Arlo Pro 2 were tackled in the content above, but if you’re looking for a quick comparison, I’ll break it down below. If you want a detailed comparison, head here.

Pro 2 is essentially the same as Arlo Pro. It uses the same base station, it offers many of the same features, it looks the same, it’s battery-powered, and can be used inside or outside. In fact, there are only four difference between the two cameras.

Resolution. Pro 2 is 1080p where Pro is 720p

Look Back. When plugged-in, Pro 2 can pre-buffer to capture the three-seconds before motion is detected. This feature will also lower latency.

Activity Zones. When plugged-in, Pro 2 has Activity Zones. You can create three rectangular shaped zones. The camera will monitor for activity in the zones while ignoring other areas.

CVR. When plugged-in, Pro 2 can record continuous video, if you pay for Arlo’s CVR plan.

Other Outdoor Cameras

Blink XT

Blink is also a battery-powered outdoor camera. It’s built around a unique chip that should provide an amazing battery life. However, while my indoor cameras are almost at the two-year mark using the original AA batteries, my Blink XT batteries usually last between 1.5 and 2 months. While I love my Blink indoor cameras, I would not recommend Blink for outdoor use. You can read my Blink XT review and comparison to Arlo Pro here.

Arlo

I’ve heard others say Arlo is the perfect outdoor camera. I disagree. The original Wire-Free camera had even greater latency than Arlo Pro. Also, Pro includes a wider field of view, a rechargeable battery, a siren (built into the hub), and it adds sound with two-way audio, all features the original Arlo lacked. Arlo Pro 2 bumps up the resolution to 1080p and adds three features if the camera is plugged-in: CVR, Motion Zones, and Look Back.

Arlo Go is yet another Arlo camera. It’s an Arlo Pro plus 4G. The big catch is that a cellular plan via Verizon is needed as it doesn’t work with WiFi. It does come with 15 data minutes to send 15 minutes worth of video to the cloud for free. Once you’ve used those minutes, you’ll need to buy more time. Data plans start at $4.99/month for 15 data minutes and go up to $32.99/month for 225 data minutes. Arlo Go sells for $429.99 on Amazon or 399.99 from Verizon ($349.99 if you sign a 2-year contract).

Kuna and Toucan

Kuna is also intriguing, but using the device would require that I swap out my current light fixtures, and I have a different style of porch light. Toucan would potentially solve that dilemma. With Toucan, you can retrofit any outdoor light with a smart socket and a camera. But again, it works better with wall lights, and I have a hanging light.

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor

Post launch of Nest Cam IQ Indoor, Nest has announced that they are making an outdoor version of IQ. I’ve tested the indoor IQ and it is one of a few cameras that I’ve returned. In my opinion, the extra features (Person Recognition, Supersight, 4K Image Sensor, HD Talk and Listen, 12x Zoom, and HDR) don’t justify a price tag that is nearly double the original Nest Cam.

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor will offer most of the same features as the indoor IQ (less the coming soon Google Assistant integration). The only difference between IQ and the original Nest Cam is the power cord. Unlike the original Nest Cam Outdoor, you will have to drill a hole to install the IP66-rated Nest Cam IQ Outdoor, unless you happen to have an existing opening. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor will start at $349. And this, my friends, is why I won’t be purchasing Nest Cam IQ. Not only is person detection sufficient and offered via the less expensive Nest Cam Outdoor, but I don’t have an existing opening, and I’m not going to drill.

Ring Stick Up Cam V1 and V2

While the Stick Up Cam would have been an obvious choice, it wasn’t for me. It does provide a wireless experience, and in the right conditions, the battery can last several months. Plus, if you add the solar panel, it can recharge itself.

My goal with a security camera is to help protect my neighborhood, not my house. (My house is protected as much as any house can be, trust me.) That said, to do my part, I need a camera that can record 24/7 (Stick Up can’t). I also need a camera that can capture a wide angle (Stick Up can’t), and I need a camera that will allow me to quickly sift through footage when my neighbor’s request help (Stick Up can’t).

The second version of Stick Up Cam is launching soon. There will be two cameras: Stick Up Cam and Stick Up Cam Elite. The major difference between V1 and V2 is that V2 ships with more mounting options so that it can be used inside or outside. V2, like V1, is battery-powered, but Elite adds PoE or the option to power using a wall outlet. The new cameras also offer a higher 1080p resolution.

Ring Floodlight Cam

The Ring Floodlight Cam would be an interesting option if I needed floodlights. The Floodlight Cam is built to replace existing floodlights to make them “smart.” Not only would the smart lights add a layer of security by allowing you to flash the lights or sound the built-in alarm, but the device also has advanced features like custom zone creation and facial recognition. However, like Stickup Cam, the camera can’t record 24/7. Also, it requires that you have existing wires for floodlights.

Oco Pro Bullet and Pro Bullet V2

Oco Pro Bullet is weatherproof, has an SD card, cloud storage, night vision, smart motion detection, and records in FHD 1080p. It can also work in a wide range of temperatures, from -22 °F – 140 °F (-30 °C – 60 °C). But it has one massive limitation: viewing angle. Unfortunately, it only offers an 85-degree viewing angle. Also, the indoor version fell flat on many of its promised features. While the outdoor camera uses different hardware, the indoor experience left me feeling leery towards Oco’s ability to build a quality camera.

Oco Pro Bullet V2 lacks a PoE option and has a more limited temperature range (14 °F – 122 °F). However, it does offer a wider 100° viewing angle.

Swann Smart Security Camera

Swann Smart Security Camera is an indoor/outdoor battery powered security camera that works without a base station. It’s most similar to Reolink Argus and Canary Flex. The camera records in 1080p FHD, offers a 120° field of view, night vision, and is IP65 rated for outdoor use. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with any third-party devices and it lacks intelligent features to reduce false alarms. The camera boasts a feature called True Detect™, but that’s just a fancy marketing term for PIR motion sensor. The camera’s best feature is free local and cloud storage. From the app, you can playback seven days worth footage stored locally. The camera also includes two days of cloud storage.

Reolink Argus and Argus 2

I have tested Reolink Argus, but not Argus 2. Both are indoor/outdoor, hubless, battery-powered cameras. The cameras do not offer cloud storage. Instead, you can purchase and add an SD card. The cameras record in FHD 1080, offer night vision, live streaming, mobile app access, and a 130° field of view. However, they lack other features offered by Canary, Arlo, and Nest including geofencing and the ability to connect to third-party devices.

I want to say first this is one of the best reviews I have ever seen. It had me reading and viewing the videos all the way to the bottom. Thanks for doing this. I am a retired policemans wife and wanted a good camera. My only problem is internet, I have,a hotspot for internet. I purchased the ring flood light and Ring customer service told me it wouldn’t work or if it did only for a few days. Well It has been a week now and still working. (not yelling) MY QUESTION IS: Does any of the above work off a hotspot wifi without a router? Since I have no router and Ring does work with hotspot. I did purchases TP Link wifi extender. The device health is Good (RSSI) 46 to 53 range. I am kinda Pretty good with technical issues, but nowhere knowledgeable as lots of people. I do work for a judge he’s an appeal judge and anything goes wrong with the computers phones or anything I take care of all of it although I am his JA which is judicial assistant I put in all the orders in issue writs and stuff like that. Thanks in advance for all your help. Also thanks so much for the review.

Wow! I’m impressed that you read the whole thing. A mobile hotspot, right? I think they would all tell you that it’s possible, but not something they recommend. The signal isn’t going to be as reliable as connecting to a WiFi network. Arlo sells a 4G camera called Arlo Go, but it’s more expensive upfront and the monthly fee is higher as you’re paying for cellular connectivity.

Hey Rose, thank you for your excellent article.
My wife and I plan to hire a nurse at night for our new baby, but due to the many stories we’ve heard, we want to set up a camera (indoor of course) to surveil her and check up on her at any given time. (we will let her know she’s on camera – it will not be a secret at all.) I read your article but I still want your advice because I’m unsure. Which camera do you suggest for me? The main qualities I need is:
1) 24/7 recording, where i can check on her 24/7. additionally, it’s all stored away for later replay.
2) it’s easy to find surveillance should something happen.
3) a brand with the best wifi connectivity record (I HATE when it loses connectivity), this is actually the most important thing to me – the wifi connectivity must be seamless, I’ve had terrible experience with bad wifi connectivity. I want to be able to pull out my phone anytime and instantly be able to see live video. zero tolerance for bad wifi connection:)
4) the user interface should be awesome and user-friendly,
5) i want to see live video – with sound – through both my smartphone and computer,
6) I want the option to enable (or disable) both motion OR sound detection (alerts) or both.
7) the sound quality must be great (I once got one that the max volume was so low you can hardly hear the live audio),
8) an easy installment is a plus but not a must (I’m the type who’ll want to move it from place to place until I settle on the perfect spot).
9) battery backup, or, the option for both plug-in AND battery powered is plus but not a must.

Which camera would you say meets my criteria, and of those that meet my criteria which one do you recommend?

This article is really geared toward people who want to use the camera outside. As you want 24/7 recording and as much uptime as possible, I suggest either the Arlo Pro 2 plugged in, Arlo Q, or Nest Cam indoor.

1. Yes, they will all record 24/7 if you pay for a CVR plan.
2. I haven’t tested Arlo’s CVR plan, though it’s on my list. I know that Nest’s is user-friendly. You can create zones to help sort through footage, timelapses, etc.
3. Both Arlo and Nest have a lag from time to time. There are moments when I pull out my phone to stream Nest and it just spins and spins. I have to hard close it and then reopen the app. When it’s working, I can usually access footage in about 4 seconds. Arlo takes about 8 seconds to wake. There is also a 4 second difference between what you see on your phone and what’s happening in real life. WiFi will really depend on the speed and quality of your internet connection at home. I would suggest performing a quick test to see your current upload/download speeds.
4. Nest’s is better and more awesome. Arlo’s is user-friendly too though and offers more customization.
5. They can both do that.
6. They can both do that.
7. You can hear the speakers well. Two-way audio is a little hard to use though because it’s walkie-talkie style. You press, you talk, but you can’t hear. Arlo allows you to adjust the speaker volume, but Nest’s is set to a nice level that is about equal to Arlo’s max level.
8. They are both easy.
9. Only Arlo Pro 2 would offer battery backup unless you plugged the cameras into a UPS.

I’m leaning towards Arlo Pro 2 over the Arlo Q, due to the portability – however, since the portability is only a plus for me and not a must, is there any advantage that the Q has over the Pro 2 that I may want to consider before making my final decision. [I tried finding differences between the Arlo Q and Arlo Pro 2, and, aside from the design & portability, I was unable to find any.] If you know of any can you please share with me, and then I’ll be 100% certain in my decision:)

Just one final question if I can, I was looking around a little more at some of your articles and YouTube videos (they are awesome! short and sweet and to the point!), and it seems like the Blink XT would also meet my criteria (the 9 pointers above), is that right? The thing I liked was that it’s much cheaper and apparently I’m getting the same, no? Is there anything I’d be missing out from my list if I go with the Blink camera (and overall do you recommend it)?

I do like Blink, it’s a good, inexpensive option. When talking cons, I usually list that Blink doesn’t send an alert until it’s done recording. Like Arlo Pro 2, Blink requires a base station.

Regarding your 9 points, Blink is missing a few. Blink cannot record 24/7. If you’re not recording 24/7, point 2 becomes less of an issue, but Blink does have a timeline. It’s not as easy to navigate as Nest’s though. It also lacks sound detection and two-way audio. Blink XT offers night vision, the original Blink uses an illuminator.
The major advantage of Q over Pro 2 is that it doesn’t require a base station which frees up an Ethernet port and also makes your initial purchase cheaper.

Finally, I wouldn’t put too much weight into the Amazon review from 2015. Things have really changed since then, including the Nest app. The Nest app was a little slow going when first launched, but they’ve really improved it and added back features that were initially missing, though found within the Dropcam app, plus added new features like person detection.

01/07/2018

Chad M.

Rose: I appreciate your research on the Nest, Ring, Canary and Arlo devices. I’m not a techy person and I had someone come out to put surround sound in my house along with security cameras inside and out. He suggested Ring or Arlo perhps Canary Flex and something on battery.

I live in Scottsdale and the outside security of Nest sounds good when I read your artciles but it easliy gets 112-115 degrees. My neighborhood doesn’t really usee outside lights (we can actually see the stars at night) so a camera that triggers the flood lights would be nice.

What would you suggest- Nest inside and maybe Ring or Arlo outside? Should I use the battery option; my only concern is I work from home and in a home over 3500 ft I’m not sure if it will create enough bandwidth or whatever the wifi power is called.

Thanks for any direction or insight before I pull the trigger and give them the ok.

I apologize for the delay. I took a vacation then flew to Las Vegas for CES. I didn’t see any killer new outdoor cameras there, but Ring is launching some new cameras alongside a few lights.

I’m not sure why the Nest Cam weather rating maxes out at a lower temperature, but the cameras run really hot. Perhaps that’s why? I haven’t tested my Nest Cams in high heat so I can’t say if the rule is overly cautious or not. That said, Ring and Arlo are probably your best bet for outdoor use.

If you just want an indoor and outdoor camera (not a doorbell), I would recommend Arlo Pro or Pro 2 outside and Arlo Pro/2 or Arlo Q inside. However, it would be best if you could place your Base Station in a central location. The Arlo cameras talk to the Base Station and the Base Station connects directly to your router (or Ethernet outlet or range extender).

If that’s not possible, or if the floodlight feature is really important to you, I recommend either the Ring Floodlight (not tested but I have heard good things about it) or Ring Spotlight. Ring launched a new indoor camera at CES, so that might be an option. I need to dig into it more before I say yay or nay of course. Currently, Nest, Arlo Q, Arlo Pro, and Amazon Cloud Cam are my top recommended indoor cameras.

Personally, I have to have continuous video recording in my front yard. I use an indoor Nest Cam facing out of a window with the night vision off. I have automated porch lights that allow it to see a short distance at night. This might also be an option for you too if you want continuous recording.

Is the Nest Outdoor can really secure? If you have to run the cable to a power outlet, outside and clearly visible, it seems to me that more than an eye sore it’s simply insecure. Anyone could walk up and unplug it. Sure it may catch a snap of the person prior to that, or it may not if they person makes the right approach. Either way, it seems insecure to have an outdoor camera that anyone could easily take offline. Thus I wonder if the extra $ for the IQ are worth it, just for that reason vs any of the other enhancements that they market, as I agree with you those feature do not seem to be worth the large price increases (which is more than doubled).

One suggestion – I think it would be interesting to see a deeper dive into family/multi-user sharing, perhaps including other systems as well. This is an aspect that seems to get neglected in most reviews I read even though I assume it will have a big impact on the experience. Would be interesting to see a dedicated article or video on this.

Hi Rose, thanks for the reviews. I am about to send a Vivint system back due to the doorbell camera. It does not capture motion events. I am curious as to why you did not review them (or the camera). They are complaining about my upload speed of my WiFi, which makes me ask, where are the motion detection algorithms processed? Are they run on the doorbell, the panel or only after it is uploaded? Did you look into that?

To test all the professionally monitored security systems out there would too expensive due to the high monthly fees so I usually keep up with them at CES when I can, and Vivint attends CES. I’ve seen all of their cameras including the doorbell in Vegas, but it’s not the same as living with something for months and experiencing the quirks that often come along with longterm ownership. You can read my Vivint review here, but I doubt it’s going to help with the issue you are experiencing. Vivint processes motion events in the cloud. I believe they recommend that customers have a minimum upload speed of 2MBPS.

I’ve only tested one cloud-less camera this year (Reolink Argus) and it’s battery-powered. And if you’re asking about systems like Amcrest and Swann, I don’t have anything similar. I mainly focus on cloud cameras for now, but who knows what the future holds! Currently, I’m working on an updated indoor camera version of this article, but all the cameras I’m testing use cloud storage.

I have! That is a white box piece of hardware used by several companies so I actually have that same exact camera from another company. I don’t love it, but for the price, it’s a good choice. Of course, a huge portion of the experience is not just hardware, but user experience. I don’t know how Wyze will deliver on that side of the equation, but I’ve ordered a Wyze Cam for Bethuel to try, another writer on this site, can’t wait to hear his thoughts.

This is a great review comparing all the products in-depth based on your own experience. Probably the best one I’ve found on the Internet about these systems.
Thank you Rose!

A few questions:

1) Can you add how long the length of the recorded clips are when motion/events are detected? This is something I’m having difficulty finding on these products’ websites and even harder to compare and will be very useful.
2) If I have an external drive plugged into the Arlo’s base station and my Arlo Pro 2 is plugged in (powered), can I store the continuous recording onto the external drive? Or will the external drive only store the short clips on motion/event detection?

I currently have 1 Nest Outdoor, 1 Nest Indoor, but because we don’t want to drill a hole at our new house and save some money on subscriptions in the long term, we are considering the Arlo Pro 2 vs. the Ring Spotlight for monitoring… A difficult one to choose!

1) Sure. Ring recordings are 30 seconds. You can customize Arlo’s recordings. You can set it to record until motion stops (up to 300 seconds) or you can choose a fixed length between 10 and 120 seconds.
2) You can’t store continuous recordings locally, only in the cloud. So yes, you can only store the short clips on your local storage device.

My gate is too far from my router so I would prefer to hardwire the doorbell. I would rather not use an extender. I ran CAT5 when I installed my old doorbell (which is now outdated and does not have software to use on my iphone). Is my only option the Ring Elite? I have the Arlo set up indoor, but I was not sure if Arlo was going to make a doorbell. Any thoughts?

The only “coming soon” doorbell that I know of is Nest Hello, which is not a PoE option. Arlo just announced the Arlo Pro 2 with no mention of a doorbell, and I doubt they would keep something like that under wraps if that had a doorbell in the works.

That said, Ring Elite and DoorBird Video Doorbell are both PoE, but I do not recommend DoorBird. So I guess the answer is “yes,” Ring Elite is the only option that I know of.

When you say, “a service like Ring,” do you mean the ecosystem itself? As in, you’re looking for a doorbell and outdoor camera that work under one app? Or do you mean something different? Short answer is no, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. Long answer: Ring Elite, as you said offers PoE as does DoorBird Video Doorbell, but I do not recommend DoorBird. Regarding security cameras, Arlo Q Plus (no doorbell, but it does work with IFTTT). EZVIZ Husky offers PoE (no doorbell camera, poor quality IMO, works with IFTTT). OCO Pro Bullet offers PoE as does their Pro Indoor camera (no doorbell, but it does work with IFTTT). In order, I like Arlo Q the best (it’s got a strong lead in this three-way race), followed by Oco, and EZVIZ. I have tested cameras from all three companies.

Yes, I’m looking for an ecosystem that provides cloud-based mobile access to security video in a reasonably low cost package. However, I don’t want WiFi cameras, because I don’t want the bandwidth burden on the WiFi when I already have CAT6 cables to each camera location and I already have a POE switch. I don’t need a doorbell at all, just the cameras.

Thank you for your suggestion of the Arlo Q Plus – this looks like exactly what I need. After reviewing the Arlo Q Plus, the Husky and the OCO I agree with your ranking order.

With the recent changes of Oct 2017 in Canary’s subscription vs non-subscription plans (owner’s used to at least received some reasonable length video), why would anyone go with a Canary now? Seems that they are trying to drive the customers that originally put them on the map toward other companies.

Rose first let me say thanks for the reviews. But just wanted to let you know (and maybe the nest guy you talked with also) that you can choose to only get notifications for people and not motion. This has been available for at least 3 months now. Also have only had one time when it had reported a person and was not. Car lights was what it really saw.

Yes, I’ve been using Nest this way for awhile, and I love it! I didn’t realize that I hadn’t updated the article. I’m not even sure where in the article I mentioned this fact but I will read it now and get it updated.

After testing indoor Nest IQ Indoor and Nest Cam Outdoor, I’ve decided to pass on Nest IQ Outdoor. Plus, it sounds like this version will require drilling, and I’ve found that Nest’s facial recognition feature doesn’t add more value than their face detection feature. I also don’t have a place for Ring Floodlight. However, I will buy Ring Spotlight. I have six devices in my office waiting to test, so I can’t promise that it’s going to happen quickly, but it will happen! 🙂

Mair, I installed the Spotlight Cam and have been running it for a few days. I updated the content above, and I’m working on a separate review (which I will publish after Thanksgiving). So far it’s fine. There are some limitations with the Solar version, which is the same as the Battery version. One, you can’t create Activity Zones, that is limited to the Wired version only. Two, you can’t schedule the lights. The lights will turn on when motion is detected and you can trigger them manually, but that’s it. I’d say that the motion detector performance is on par with the Ring Video Doorbell. It includes the same feature that allows you to adjust motion sensitivity. There is no way to weed out false alarms, and sometimes I get alerts if the wind blows too hard. The camera wakes up fast, faster than my doorbell. The video quality is just okay. It doesn’t look like 1080p to me, it looks like 720p. Two-way talk works well. I was surprised that the cameras don’t play together. For example, if my doorbell detects an alert, I can’t trigger Spotlight to record. Spotlight doesn’t work with IFTTT so it’s not possible through their service, and though it works with Stringify, you can’t create this sort of relationship between cameras using Stringify. What else do you want to know?

Great job on reviews. A lot of work there. Just installed a Ring Doorbell Pro and to spotlights. Kits include tools and more installation options than imaginable. Very thoughtfully done. But wake up time is as you described. Needs to be faster.

Thanks, Abe. I have a chart that compares Canary and Flex here: https://homealarmreport.com/canary-flex-security-camera-review/. I still prefer Canary All-in-One over Flex. Of course, it’s an indoor only camera so that might be a dealbreaker for you depending on how you want to use it. It has a better picture, already offers two-way audio (if you’re a Canary Member), has motion zones, and multiple air quality sensors.

Thanks!! One other question I have: my wife is due this fall and (in addition to a regular home security camera) I’m seeking a good baby video monitor, the best actually. Do you have a chart or column that compares and reviews baby video monitors? (I searched online and there’s an endless amount of options, and there’s also so many articles each one claiming this one is better or that one is better – but no one is nearly as good or trustworthy as you as far, and as far as breaking down each product and giving us the full truth and clarity there’s no equal to the job you have done! Do you have anything on this (baby video monitors)? If not yet, do you plan to? Thanks!

Since I’m assuming you will want to live stream often to check on your kids, I would recommend a wired security camera. The original Canary is a good option as is Arlo Q. Both will allow you to live stream from anywhere. Original Canary does not offer two-way audio for free, Arlo Q does, something to consider if you want to be able to talk to your childcare provider or children using the camera. Both cameras include free cloud storage.

08/11/2017

CD

Hi Rose,

thanks for the comprehensive reviews. Do you want to get married? I have BOTH gigabit internet and eero mesh wifi + Ring 2 in transit – imagine how much fun we would have geeking out and setting up our security cams together…

All kidding aside, question regarding Arlo and the base station:

Does each camera have to connect directly to the BS or can it be routed via my home wi-fi system? Although wifi coverage is not an issue, if BS is in front of house, I’m concerned that a camera in the back will not be able to reach it.

To add to your Final thoughts, I would add that an ideal camera would have flexibility in terms of both power (battery, solar, PoE) and connectivity + (a big plus) local storage so that I could use my NAS for storage and avoid any monthly fees whatsoever.

Ha! That’s funny. Anywho, Arlo. Yes, Arlo needs the base station. The cameras only talk to the base station which creates its own network. The max range is stated at 300ft between base station and camera, which I assume is direct line of sight. If I had to guesstimate the distance between my base station and camera I would say 50 feet max? I haven’t tested beyond that.

Rose, not sure if I missed in somewhere but when I see reviews of Ring with ‘slow to activate’ and just catching the backside of someone leaving, do you know if this is an issue with Ring or only when running on battery? If hardwired do you know if it has this same issue? Thanks!

I haven’t had that problem, and as you said, I’m running it hardwired. My clips include a front facing image of guests. That said, I’ve recently had issues with wake up times when I’m away from home. As an example, I answered a ring alert yesterday, but it just kept spinning. I had to hard close the app, open it back up, and then check the alert. By then, the guest was gone.

Rose, thanks for the great review! Paul, I have a Video Doorbell Pro and a Floodlight Cam — both are hardwired. Both lag at least seven seconds behind real time and sometimes even longer. During the lag, the would-be burglar is gone or could be in your house. Ring’s ads suggest you see things in real time which is not the case for me. The signal strength and wifi speed both test excellent. I hope this helps you. Nick

I purchased a Ring video doorbell in late 2015. Just what I wanted so I could answer the door with my phone app.
However, my internet speed isn’t fast enough on uploading! I’d ring the doorbell, walk through the door, then up to half a minute or more, I’d get the notification (I) was at the door.
The minimum upload speed has to be at least 1 Mbs, whereas Consolidated Communications is only 0.7 Mbs. I returned the doorbell, much to my disappointment.
Please alert customers to this crucial information.

I understand your frustation. I had the same problem. My router was far from the Ring itself so I bought a WiFi extender and once I got that up and running – no more issues. I have the first generation Ring. Good luck with whatever you go with!!

Thanks for the incredible reviews… after weighing all the pros and cons, I decided to go with Arlo for the wireless convenience. Got it from Costco and it was easy to install. Images look great, too.

Biggest problem though is the ‘wake up’ time. You reported on it, but I didn’t really take the time to really consider, “Hey, if I want to catch the kids driving by banging mailboxes, by the time they drive by and the camera wakes up, they’re gone!’ Well, that’s just what I learned as I set everything up, had the ap working and started getting notifications when people drove by. I thought AWESOME! it works! Well, not so much. Unfortunately, the car is never seen on the video, so the purpose is pretty much defeated.

I did find that when I walked out the front door, the wake up was pretty quick, whereas the road is more toward the top of the camera, so that may have something to do with it. Regardless, it looks like back to Costco the system will go once I get the mounts uninstalled tomorrow.

An update on the outdoor charger for the Arlo Pro/Pro 2: Amazon has been informing buyers that “NETGEAR has informed us that the product Arlo Outdoor Power Adapters (Model No. VMA4700) may have an issue with the connection between the adapter and Arlo Pro cameras may allow water to enter the camera.” This can result in the camera short-circuiting, overheating, and burning. (It’s hard to find out about this, and Netgear has failed to issue a recall.)

There are third-party chargers (by Wasserstein) that have better weatherproofing, but sometimes the Arlo Pro cams reject them. You can find more information on the Arlo community site.

I’ve had 2 Arlo Pro cams for a few months now. They both work very well, although the false motion trips by wind or in my case a train that comes by is a bit annoying. But what I have found is that I really want a camera that is on 24/7, that I can go back and scan thru in case there’s an issue. The other thing is the delay. I had a person enter my property and the Arlo caught him just as he was almost out of the camera. A friend of mine told me to check out a FLIR camera. I don’t have a good home security system, so I would like to have something that can expand as far as needed. I can always take my Arlo to my office and use it there if I decide to switch.

I’ve settled on continuous video for my outdoor cameras too. Obviously, I use Nest for that. For indoor cameras, Arlo Q is also an option. For $9.99/month, you can add continuous cloud recording. SpotCam also has continuous cloud recording, but we haven’t tried it. Of course, there are other options where you store the footage locally, but then the trouble becomes finding usable footage when you need it!

I’m thinking about getting the Ring doorbell, but add the Nest outdoor for back and side door entries. Not sure if it would make more sense to get the Nest indoor cameras as opposed to the outdoor. What would you recommend?

Hi Rose! Thank you for such an informative article. Unfortunately, I’m reading due to the fact that my street was just the victim of car break-ins overnight. I am curious to know what your opinion on the night vision (inside and out) for each of the cameras is. I currently have the older Logitech Alert cameras, but their night vision isn’t the greatest so I really couldn’t make out the burglars or the vehicles they were in. I have been leaning on Ring doorbell/stick ups, but no 24/7 recording is almost scaring me away.

I’m also curious if you integrated with an automation system for any of the testing. I currently use Control4 and love any chance to add a new toy to it.

Hey Scott, sorry about your car. Under shortcuts, you will find the video reviews. For Nest, night vision is shared at minute 1:43 and keep playing for just a moment to see night vision from Ring. During the Arlo vs. Canary video (the third video shown), skip to minute :54 to see night vision from Canary and keep playing to see a side by side comparing it to Arlo. To me, they are all about the same. I’ve found that the best night vision comes when you leave the lights on. I actually have automated lights on my porch, and they turn on at sunset and back off at sunrise. Integrating the cameras with a smart home system: I’ve tested Arlo Pro with SmartThings, I wasn’t a fan of that. It actually changes the mode to a new mode called SmartThings. I prefer geofencing mode. Ring I’ve tested using IFTTT, but I haven’t tested it with SmartThings.

Hi and thank you for the exhaustive review. I like the option of Ring Doorbell Pro. However, my existing doorbell is on the side of the house, facing parallel to the door across the front steps. If I mounted the Ring there, the camera would capture a profile of the visitor as they approach the door. It would not capture their face head on, would not (likely) capture them them as they approach the steps, which is where delivery people often leave packages (my interest in Ring, Arlo, etc., came out of the neighborhood social app conversation about a rash of package thefts), and would not capture the car they drive as it would face parallel to the street, not into the street. My question is: what would the installation of Ring look like on or near the front door, where there is no existing wiring? Is my existing setup enough to steer me away from Ring and toward a battery powered option?

The original Ring has a battery option. I don’t know how I would feel about that because you do have to remove the doorbell to charge it. Ring claims it will last 6-12 months on a charge. If that’s true, that wouldn’t be so bad; however, I would expect it to last like 3-6 months. In my experience, when a company gives a top end battery life range, that’s how long it will last if you never use the device. All that said, I don’t know how hard it would be to move a wired doorbell to the front of your door.

Thank you. From your experience, do you agree that mounting Ring on a side wall (the way I described) is not productive? A camera more or less should face outwards from the front door, in some shape or form, wouldn’t you say?

Thinking of battery-powered original Ring, I don’t think opening up the mount and recharging a battery every 3-6 months would faze me. Having two doorbells (the “real” one on the side and the Ring on the door frame) probably would bug me more than a little. It did not occur to me to move the existing doorbell, just to install the Ring in the new location on or near the door.

It’s not ideal, but it’s not terrible. I just went out there and stood sideways to the camera and you could still see me. The farther back I stood, the better the picture. Take a look at the article and scroll all the way to the bottom. I put two pictures up temporarily. Let me know once you see them as I’m going to take them down. I suggest buying it and testing it out using the battery by placing it where your current doorbell is BEFORE you actually install it. If you think it will work, go for it. If not, send it back.

I’m not 100% sure what you are asking here so correct me if I’m wrong, but …. you can use the camera plugged in. While it is plugged in, it will work the same as it does while running on battery. It will still detect motion and record motion in the same way and you can live stream.

okkkk let me make it clear,can we remove battery and plug in camera with the adapter and cable already given in the box directly to the power socket by connecting directly does the camera gets damaged or does camera work while connecting it directly w/o battery in it.i knew it seems awful am asking this just to knew,i saw a reviewer saything that in his video and that why.

Rose – I’m interested in Canary Flex since I have the original Canary. I’d love to get these systems on some unified Platform. I currently use Nest for a thermostat, Ring Pro for the doorbell, and a Wink Hub 2 to connect them all. Another hub will make me, well, sad. 🙂

My question: Do you think the reason you received a delay response with Canary Flex is due to network visibility? Have you re-tested or adjusted wifi settings to enable a better connection?

haha. Don’t do anything that will make you sad :). I upgraded my internet package and purchased three Google Wifi routers to create a mesh network. Though this upgrade did nothing to improve Flex’s overall performance, it did help with connectivity a touch. Flex’s performance improves when plugged-in and it’s possible that the battery experience will improve over time. Canary has already proven their ability to make a product better – just think about where they started with the original Canary.

Alas, there is no good outdoor cam that does a solid job it seams, other than the Ring as it replaces an existing power fed location and has a very limited mission: see whats at the button.

Battery power is a non-starter, other than as a backup for power failure. An outdoor security camera needs to work and work 24/7/365 without me thinking about it or doing regular maintenance like recharging.

Insecure installations like the Nest outdoor are also a no-go unless you plan on mounting it under the eaves up at the 2nd’ story and routing into the attic. External wiring and easy to cut or remove wiring and mounts are a non-starter.

1- Door Bell-hard wired
1- Camera
The biggest problem is they are slow and buggy when it come to live view or when I
get a activation or ring and it response so slow, I have to walk to look out the window to see, and the iPhone is still not showing the feed.
I have supper fast wifi so its not my network, I talk to tech support they seem to always say they are having issues on there end.

Thanks Rose for this update! Not familiar with Kuna and will check them out via your link. Have been continuing to research the best outdoor option. Surprised that none of the major brands in your side-by-side can be used in colder regions – seems like that eliminates a lot of potential customers. Glad I found your review and keep up the great work in this space – very helpful!

Thanks for the really comprehensive review! I’ve been researching Nest outdoor / Arlo Pro / Flex and your article did a great job laying out the pro’s and con’s.
I’m in the rocky mountain region where it occasionally gets well below -4 and can verify your reader’s quote about cold weather limitations w Nest outdoor. I asked Nest support about this and they suggested that a different product might make sense. Seems like there really isn’t a good DIY option for users that live in cold weather? Arlo pro battery life is impacted, Flex only rated down to 14F and Nest said I should try a different product in cold weather.

Rose – how does your approach of using Nest Indoors and shooting through windows work for you? Is that an acceptable approach for so many of your readers who live in cold climates?
Thanks again for the great review.
Jay

I’m actually back to that approach right now. My grandmother is to the point where she needs some help so I put the Nest Cam Outdoor in her living room – with her permission of course. That said, there are limitations to using Nest Cam through a window. To me, they aren’t deal breakers.

1. You can’t record sound. In fact, I have sound turned off because I don’t want the camera to record constant audio of me inside. Seems creepy.
2. You also can’t use two-way audio.
3. You must turn night vision off. I keep my porch light on at night (they are automated to turn on at sunset) so that I can continue to capture footage but this isn’t ideal for everyone.
4. Motion on Nest Cam is too sensitive, made worse if it faces trees or cars. You will get lots of false alarms, but that’s no different from the Outdoor Nest. Setting zones will help some, but you must pay for Nest Aware.

One big issue with the Flex
I can see is that the rechargeable battery isn’t replaceable. Had it confirmed by Canary. I’m interested in this and the Arlo Pro. Unfortunately neither are available in the U.K yet.

Just found out about the Arlo Pro today! It looks like it has everything I am wanting in a security system. Hopefully you can get your hands on one and update this article soon to let us know about its pros and cons. Thanks!

Hey y’all. I just finished testing Arlo Pro and have updated the article. Motion is fairly fast for a battery powered camera. It outperformed Canary Flex consistently. Also, on average, it took 6 seconds for the camera to go from asleep to awake.

Thanks for the reviews! I’m anxious to see how the Canary Flex will score with you. The only thing I’m really worried about is the 14 degree minimum temperature. I live in Indiana, so it can easily get below that. I’m wondering what would happen if it went below? Does it just stop working until the temp gets higher? Does it break?

Me too. I have the same concern. It’s supposed to be here in December or January. I live in Tennessee so it gets cold here too. It will be interesting to see what happens. I’m sure it will zap the battery for starters, that’s my hypothesis anyway.

Hey- just happen to be reading this, and full disclosure I’m one of the canary founders. Our battery is designed to sub – temperatures and i had mine sitting under snow and it still worked (though video was white as it was… well… under the snow). We say it goes to -4 degrees F (-20C). But yea, the battery won’t last as long in that cold, but you can keep it plugged in, or just charge it overnight to get it back up and running. Cheers, Adam

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